Manually manipulated agricultural implement with seed enclosure having tooth members extending out of holes in the enclosure

Abstract

A manually operated tool for simultaneously preparing a seed bed, feeding seed and dispersing the seed uniformly in the bed consists of a rake-like structure, the head of which is integrated with an appendage bearing enclosure for containing a supply of seed and for cooperating with the rake-like structure when manipulated to cause controlled scarifying of the ground and efficient and controlled feeding and dispersing of the seed.

I claim: 
     
       1. An agricultural implement, comprising: enclosure means including a seed filling opening and a plurality of holes for the outward passage of the seed;   tooth member means including a corresponding plurality of tooth members substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the holes, said tooth members oriented so that ones of their ends extend inside the enclosure means and the others of their ends project external to the enclosure means through corresponding holes;   mechanism means intermediate the enclosure means and the tooth member means, said mechanism means coupled to the tooth members near the ones of the ends and coupled to the enclosure means, and arranged to restrain axial displacement and to enable lateral displacement of the tooth members relative to the holes in response to differential forces externally applied to the enclosure means and the tooth member means;   an enlongated handle rigidly coupled at one end to one of the enclosure means, the mechanism means and the tooth member means for manual manipulation of the implement;   each of the plurality of holes of the enclosure means being oblong with major and minor axes, the minor axes being normal to an imaginary vertical plane containing the handle and being longer than the corresponding dimension of the tooth members, the major axes being parallel to said imaginary plane and being longer than the corresponding dimension of the tooth members; and   a movable plate secured to the enclosure and overlapping the plurality of holes of the enclosure means, whereby the lengths of the major axes are adjustable.   
     
     
       2. An argricultural implement as described by claim 1, including: a plurality of appendages secured to the enclosure means and projecting therefrom substantially parallel to the others of the ends of the tooth members in degree to a lesser distance from said enclosure means than at least a portion of said tooth members.   
     
     
       3. An agricultural implement as described by claim 1, wherein: the mechanism means includes an axle intermediate the tooth member means and the enclosure means, said axle being rigidly coupled to said tooth member means and rotatably coupled to said enclosure means.   
     
     
       4. An agricultural implement as described by claim 3, including: a longitudinally biased resilient member having one end thereof secured to the handle and the opposite end thereof secured to the enclosure means at a point on said enclosure means such that the line of action of the resilient member is offset from the axis of the axle.   
     
     
       5. An agricultural implement as described by claim 3, wherein: the one end of the elongated handle is rigidly coupled to the tooth member means.   
     
     
       6. An agricultural implement as described by claim 1, wherein: the one end of the elongated handle is rigidly coupled to the enclosure means.   
     
     
       7. An agricultural implement as described by claim 1, wherein: the one end of the elongated handle is rigidly coupled to the mechanism means.   
     
     
       8. An agricultural implement as described by claim 1, wherein: the one end of the elongated handle is rigidly coupled to the tooth member means.